I am trying to redo a canopy for a carseat. I was just replacing the pink cording for blue but can't seem to get a needle to sew through it. I ordered leather needles thinking the canopy has what looks like a weather resistant layer to it. The leather needles didn't begin to work. Any ideas to help me out would be appreciated. I think I may have to redo the whole thing!

I agree that it might be that your machine wasn't built for rugged sewing . I have a 30 year old Singer portable, boughta t JoAnn's, that still walks right through 6 layers of denim with no problem. I know my emb machines won't do that.

Thanks everyone! I did get the job finished. Did not solve my problem but will continue to look into it since I need to redo the stroller and it is out of the same fabric. I ended up taking off the lining since everything else would be concealed and it looks good. I will still continue to explore since it will be easier to do without having to take off the lining of the stroller.

Could be you machine is not heavy duty enough to have the power to push the needle through. Don't force it.
My DH years ago burnt out my machine by sewing Canvas for a tent on my domestic machine by putting his foot down and pulling it through.

I'm not sure you have this solved or not, or that I may be of any help at all. Is it that the needle won't go through the fabrics or that the fabric won't feed?
Kim's suggestion about an 18 size needle may help, but if you bought one for leather, seems like it would be strong enough.
My old machine had a shaft with a spring, that you could push the shaft down and it would put more pressure, to feed the fabric through. The new machines today don't have this, but are suppose to sew through thicknesses.
Maybe if it's not feeding the fabric, the foot should be changed. I know with my purses and cording, I am able to sew it on close to the cording with my zipper foot. However, when I put fabrics right side together, I have to use a different foot, using my previous stitching as my guide.
You may have it made by now, I hope so, as I don't think I'm much help to you. Let us know how you solved your dilemma.-Toogie

Perhaps a denim needle 110/18...it is a heavy duty needle...

Would a topstitching needle work?
How about gluing on cording?

1 comment

by RockyB 03 Sep 2017

I'm not sure about the topstitch needle but I will look in to it. The cording is sewn in-between two layers of the canopy so it can't be glued.